Change speed device without breach of continuity



R. TELLIEZ July 27, 1937.

2,088,540 CHANGE SPEED DEVICE WITHOUT BREACH 0F CONTINUITY v Filed Feb.7, 1935 I2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY RAYMQND TELLIEZ WW/m m W EN E( July27, 1937. R. TELLlEz l 2,088,540

CHANGE SPEED DEVICE WITHOUT BREACH OF CONTINUITY Filed Feb. '7, 1935 2Sheets-Sheet 2 @mn- RAYMOND TELL/EZ By A ATTORNEY `Patented July 27,1937 j UNITED STATES CHANGE SPEED DEVICE WITHOUT BREACH 0F CONTINUITYRaymond Telliez, Paris, France Application February 7, 1935, Serial No.5,359

In France February 12, 1934' 3 Claims.

l YThe present invention relates to change-speed devices, and has forits object a mechanism permitting a continuous range of speedsirrespective of the direction of rotation of the drive shaft.

The device according to the invention is chiey adapted for use -uponmotor vehicles. An interestingapplicaticn may also be considered inconneetion with aviation, 'by interpo'sing the device between the engineand the prep-euer, in creer te facilitate the braking when landing, bythe reversal of the propeller blades, or to provide a variablespeed-reduction, etc. It may-obviously 'e applied to other machinesemploying speedchanging devices.

The present change-speed device, which is applied by way of example tomotor vehicles, has a special feature in that it permits the speed ofthe vehicle to vary in a continuous manner and .in forward or backdrive, while passing through Q() a dead center, and without the use of aclutch or similar means.

The said device permits driving by means of the acceleration, but itdiers from the so-called I i automatic speed-changing devices for thereason that the driver will always have control over the ratio betweenthe power torque and the load torque, and hence over all increase ofspeed such as areI necessary to easy driving. The driver may vary thisratio at any time, as he may desire,

Sd between all values comprised between two limits,

and is not obliged to use predetermined values asin the case of theknown change-speed devices.

'I'here is further employed a device for correcting any free wheelingeffect created and a5 providing for the braking by means of the engine,

vehicles.

which is indispensable for the majority of drivers. 'Ihe principle ofthe invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. Fig. 1 showing a change-speed device for motor Figs. 2 and 3are diagrammatic views showing the detail of operation.

As shown in Fig. 1 the driving shaft I actuates, through a knownspeed-reducing device 2 and 3 a crankshaft 4 to which the gear-wheel 3is keyed.

Connecting rods 5 transmit the rotary motion of the shaft I, which hasbeen set in motion by the crankshaft 4, to a rocking device 6, thusimpartliOng i'zo it an oscillating movement about a rock The saidrocking device comprises a threaded rod 8 along which are movable thesliders 9 and ID which are respectively connected with twoconnecting-rods II and I2.

Each of the said connecting rods is connected with a respectivecrankshaft Iii- 14, and with eah shaft is combined the device which willbe described as follows.

It will be readily observed that the. mechanism is, so to speak, dividedinto two parts, one of which is operated by the rod II and the other bythe rod I2. The movements of the two rods are then combined andcompensated by a mech-l anism based on the principle of differentialgears, and their reciprocating motion is transformed, in trri, into arotary motion, which is denitely transmitted to the drive shaft 29.

The upper part which is operated by the rod l I will be taken as anexample. Two bevel gears I5 and I6 are mounted onthe shaft I3, and arerotated through the medium of a ratchet device I'I-IS (Fig. 2) employingrollers, for instance, or by any other similar device, the action ofsaid bevel gears depending upon the rotation of the shaft I3 the bevelgears being rotatable in a single direction. Y

, On the other hand, owing to the construction, the two gears I5 and I6can be operated in the other direction Ain such a way that when theshaft I3 rotates (for instance) in the-clockwise direction the gear I5is operated, and the gear I6 remains loose, but when the shaft I3rotates inthe anti-clockwise direction, the gear I6 is operated, and thegear I5 remains loose.

'I'he gears I5 and I6 are both engaged with a third bevel gear 59,whichalways rotates in the same direction, irrespective of the direction ofrotation of the shaft I3.

The shaft I4, which is operated by the rod I2, is provided with a devicewhich is similar to the preceding, ,and causes a rotation of the bevelgear 29, vbut inv the contrary direction to the gear I9.

The gears I9 and 20 impart their respective movements to two shafts 2|and 22, upon each of. which is mounted a main lgear-wheel of adifferential set,.said gear-wheels being shown as 23 and 24. Theplanetary gears, which run loose on their shafts, are shown as 25 and26. The toothed ring 21 is driven by said planetary gears, and it drivesthe bevel pinion 28, which in turn actuates the drive shaft 29. Thesaidv shaft 29 is in this case thelongitudinal power transmission shaftof the vehicle.

The threaded rod 8 is provided at one end with a gear-wheel 30 which iskeyed to the same, and which engages a gear wheel 3| connected with agear 36, both lgears being loose on the rock bar 1. The pinion 36 may beoperated from a disdevice which may be operated by the driver. By thismeans, the wheel 3| can. be turned in order to displace the sliders 9and l0 along the threaded rod.

In view of the foregoing, a certain position of the sliders 9 and I willbe considered, such that the sliders will be at equal distances from theaxis of oscillation'I.

Whenever by the rate of rotation of the driving shaft I and, as aconsequence the rate of oscillation of the rocking device S, theelongations of the rods Ii and I2 are equal, the shafts I3 and Ill areactuated at equal rates of oscillation and the pinions I9 and 2G, theshafts 2l and 22, and finally the main vgears 23 and. 24 will rotate incontrary directions, at angular speeds whose absolute value is equal. i

In such conditions, it is evident that the planetary pinions 25 and 26will rotate loosely on their shafts, without driving the ring 2l. Hencethe shaft 29 will remain stationary. This position corresponds to thedead center.

It will now be supposed that the driver acts upon the wheel 3i in suchWay that the slider Q recedes from the shaft 'I and assumes the position91, and that the slider Ill approaches the shaft l, and assumes theposition |01.

As the elongation of the rod II exceeds the elongation of the rod I2during the unit of time, the angular speed of the shaft I3 will exceedthe angular speed of the shaft I4.

It will follow that by degrees, the main Wheels 23 and. 24 will rotateat speeds w and w which differ in absolute value.

In these conditions, it is evident that the toothed ring will rotate ata resulting speed U equal to who' Thus the shaft 29 is actuated, and theVehicle will start, for instance in a forward motion, if the speeds wbeing greater than w', will afford the proper direction.

If the lack of balance should be increased between the positions of thesliders 9 and I0 with reference to the center of oscillation 1, the rateof rotation of the ring 21 will increase in like manner up to themaximum which is given by the preceding formula and which will takeplace for wzO in which case In this position, the slider I0 is locatedon the axis l, and the slider 9 is at the end of its movement. Hencethis will afford a continuous range of speeds from 0 to a maximum, whichmay, by construction, owing to the ratios of the interposed gearing, beequal to the actual rate of rotation of the driving shaft, which isequal to the speed in direct drive, or may even exceed. this latter(increased speed ratio).

`It will be thus observed that if the driver causes the wheel 3l to turnin the opposite direction, i. e. if the slider 9 approaches the slider'l and is located at 9", and if the slider I0 recedes from the other andis located at the point I, the contrary effects will be produced, andthe vehicles will move backwards, since the ring 27 rotates in thecontrary direction.k In like manner, this will afford a continuousincrease of speed in reverse drive, up to a maximum which l, and theslider IG should be at the end of its movement.

A like result will be obtained in the case in which only one of the maingears 23 and 24 is connected by a shaft 2l with a pinion i9, the othermain gear 24 being continuously actuated by the driving shaft. In thiscase, in fact, it will be sufficient to employ a single connecting rodil or I2, and a single slider 9 or IE). For a middle position of theslider on the rod 8, the main gear 23 will have the same speed as themain gear 2d, but in the contrary direction, and this positioncorresponds to the dead center. Accordingly the driver moves the saidslider to one or the other side of its middle position, this willproduce continuous variations of speed, as above indicated either inforward or in reverse drive.

As above described and as supplied to a motor vehicle, such a device forthe transmission of movement will not provide for braking by the engine,and thus it resembles a free wheeling drive.

In fact, if the vehicle is supposed to travel at a given speed on alevel road, if a sudden reduction of the load torque should occur, forinstance if the vehicle proceeds upon a down grade, the shaft 29 vvillrotate at an increased speed, as well as the main wheels 23 and 24 andthe pinions I9 and 2li, since these are in fact operated in the samedirection.

On the other hand, if the accelerator is suddenly released, the pinionsI9 and 253 will only be given a reduced impulse, and will tend to runloose, as they are driven by the transmission device.

It is only in the case in which the speed of the gear 32 becomes higherthan the shaft 33, that the retarding action of the engine will notallow the shaft 33 to attain this rate. The construction is such thatfor a given speed of the engine, the values of the speeds of the gears32 and of the shaft 33 will be equal when the slider 9 is in theposition for the maximum forward drive of the car (end of the stroke).For all the intermediate positions of the slider 9, in which the rate ofrotation of the Wheel 32 is less, the shaft 33 will rotate at a higherrate than the wheel, and hence it Will not brake this latter.

The same considerations will apply in the case of another wheel 34 and ashaft 35 operating in connection with the wheels on the crankshaft I4.

From this it will result that when the car is running on a level road,in the position of the maximum forward drive, if the accelerator shouldbe suddenly released, the pinion 32, which is driven by the wheels,through the driven shaft 29 and the pinion I9, will maintain its speed,While the speed of the shaft 33-connected with the enginewill at oncedecrease, thus abruptly braking the pinion 32 in the manner aboveindicated.

On the other hand, without interfering with the accelerator, if theresistance load should be reduced (on a down-grade), the wheel 32 willhave a tendency to race, but the wheel 33 will check this racing, as itis connected with the engine.

If it be supposed that when the car is running on a level grade, and inthe position for the maximum forward speed, the driver should Wish toemploy an additional speed increase, he will act upon the rod-and-linkgear in such way that the slider 9 will approach the axis 'I and thatthe slider I@ will recede from the same. By increasing the engine speedat the same time, he w11] increase the power torque, thus affording anincrease of speed which is as powerful as may be desired.

On the contrary, if the driver should not increase the speed, but shouldrelease the accelerator pedal, the engine will brake the wheel 32 whichwould thus tend to increase its speed, as the ring 21, whose rotationdepends upon the difference of speeds iP-w', will tend to maintain itsinstantaneous value, whereas w will increase, since the slider IB is ata distance from the axis of oscillation 1.

Like considerations will apply in the case of the pinions connected withthe shaft i4, and thus the braking by the engine, by means of the shaft35, will also be obtained for all positions of back drive.

Thus the new change-speed device Will afford:

1.-The elimination of the uncoupling, as the sliders 9 and I0 are placedfor this purpose in a symmetrical position.

2.-A range of speeds, which is continuous from a zero value to a maximumvalue.

3.-The braking by the engine, irrespectively of the gear reductionratio.

4.-'Ihe driving of the car on the loose wheel principle,

The same considerations are applicable to the back drive.

It should be observed that a speed-change device of this character isWell adapted for the propulsion of vehicles by their front wheels, owingto its simplified form due to the elimination of clutch devices, whichare always complicated.

Having so described my said invention and how it is performed I declarethat What I claim is:

1. A variable speed drive comprising a drive shaft, a rocker meansmounted on a rockshaft, means driven by said drive shaft for oscillatingsaid rocker means, a threaded rod rotatably mounted on said rockermeans, sliders threaded to Work on said rod, connecting rods pivotallymounted at one end to said sliders, crank shafts having `one end of saidconnecting rods pivotally mounted thereto, a differential train ofgears, means operatively connecting said train of gears to said crankshafts, a drive shaft, and a gear mounted on said shaft connected to onegear of said train of gears.

2. A variable speed drive comprising a drive shaft, a rocker meansmounted on a rockshaft, a crank shaft, a bevel gear connected to thecenter of said crank shaft, a pinion mounted on one end of said driveshaft and in connection with said bevel gear, connecting rods mounted onsaid crank shaft and pivotally connected to said rocker means, athreaded rod rotatably mounted on said rocker means, sliders threaded toWork on said rod, connecting rods pivotally mounted at one end to saidsliders, crank shafts having one end of said second mentioned connectingrods pivotally mounted thereon, a differential train of gears, meansoperatively connecting said train Of gears to said second mentionedcrank shafts, a drive shaft, and a gear mounted on said drive shaftconnected to one gear of said train of gears.

3. A device of the character described comprising a drive shaft, arocker means mounted on a rockshaft, means driven by said drive shaftfor oscillating said rocker means, a threaded rod rotatably mounted onsaid rocker means, sliders threaded to work on said rod, connecting rodspivotally mounted at one end to said sliders, crank shafts having oneend of said connecting rods pivot'ally mounted thereto, a differentialtrain of gears, means operatively connecting said train of gears to saidcrank shafts, a drive shaft, and a gear mounted on said drive shaftconnected to one gear of said train of gears and means operativelyconnecting s'aid train of gears to said first mentioned drive shaft.

RAYMOND TELLIEZ.

